The Unconquerable son-in-law

Chapter 3

Mason stares at the bundle of money in the Man's hand and looks back to him. He thinks about the conditions. His stomach hurts and he feels like he is going to drop dead the next minute if he doesn't visit the hospital. He has to visit the hospital before he dies. 

No one cares whether he's alive or dead and that's more reason why he has to live so his death won't be in vain. 

This man comes out to help him out of all those he goes over to ask for help. They chase him out but this man wants to help him. 

And how is he going to pay back? He is wretched as hell. So poor that three hundred and eighty dollars is a huge amount of money for him. Three hundred and eighty dollars is something he can't afford immediately. 

His salary at where he works is one hundred and fifty dollars a month and Bella collects a hundred dollars from him every month after collecting his salary while he uses fifty dollars for himself and upkeep. So how is he going to pay back three hundred and eighty dollars in a month? 

Mason thinks the man is a bit mean to add an interest of eighty dollars to the money when what he spends on himself is fifty dollars. Mason wonders how he is going to cope.

If he doesn't pay up, he will work as a servant for him. This is the lowest point of downgrading him but the poor masses have no right to get angry. 

He doesn't have the strength to get angry and the pain is getting worse every minute. What should he do? Should he accept and accept his fate of working as his servant at the end. But it won't be easy. It won't be as easy as he thought. 

"Will you?" The man asks once again indicating that the time is ticking away. 

Mason favors his life and he doesn't want to die. He thinks he should be alive first before thinking of the next step to do. 

"I will." Mason replies immediately. The man smiles at him and hands the money to him. Mason collects it happily and counts it. When he is sure it's 300 dollars, he dips it in his pocket where he is sure it is safe. 

"We've reached an agreement." He says and extends a handshake to him. Mason rubs his hands on his cloth to clean it and shakes him. He is the first man who asks Mason for a handshake and as nervous as he is, he didn't want to stain him with his dirt. They disengage and Mason excused himself and rushed to the hospital. 

He arrives at a nearby hospital and makes a complaint about his health. They stood him up for a long time before attending to him and that was because he didn't look well-do or rich. He looks poor and tattered so they attend to the ones who are well-do before proceeding to him. Mason knows that's how it's done, in a society that favors rich and wealthy men and criticizes those struggling and hustling. He always wishes to be wealthy so as to convince them that life could change but if hundreds of poor men become rich, nothing will change. They will favor them when they become rich and treat them like rags when poor. And for hundreds of years to come, it will be that way. 

"Your turn, Mr Anderson." The nurse called out to him. Time has gone when he was called out. He came here early but they had to attend to the VIP before him.

The nurse attends to him and directs him to a doctor. 

The doctor listens to his complaints as Mason lays his complaints about his stomach hurting him like he is about to die. And his body temperature is getting high and his throat is drying up. 

The doctor prescribed some drugs for him and told him to get it at the pharmacy before heading out. He told him to get enough rest and the stomach pain was due to hunger. 

He told him to eat more and stop starving himself. He was given some injections to help relieve the pain and told him to use the drugs. Mason thanked him and went to the pharmacy to get the drugs. 

Not like he wishes to go hungry every time but Bella starves him with food sometimes. And most of it was brought with his own money. Bella doesn't cook food for him, knowing he comes home late at night. And sometimes, he eats junk food which he can afford.  

The supermarket he works at is attached to an eatery but Mason doesn't go there to eat as the price of food was high. And if he goes there, they wouldn't attend to him. And some of them will bully him, accusing him of stealing money to be able to afford their food. That was why he sticks to his workplace.

When he bought the drugs, he used it immediately with water which he got from the hospital. He pockets the drugs and steps out of the hospital feeling refreshed. If he could get a bit of rest but he has to go to work. He sits on the bench in front of the hospital and sighs in ease. 

His pain is gone and he feels refreshed and better. Mason is glad that he accepted to collect the money from the man. He is thankful to the man who lent him the money. If he hadn't, he would be dead by now and no one, absolutely no one would give a damn. 

If the man hadn't given him the money or if he had refused to help, he would still be in pain and he doubts he will still be alive. The pain felt like he would be dead in a minute but thanks to him, the pain was gone. 

Now, he has to go to work with the hope of getting the money to give him back. And he hopes his boss takes pity on him and takes it easy with him. 

He knows it is impossible to give back the money. Being a houseboy or servant isn't that hard, he will work for him for some months to pay it off after all he has been working his whole life. 

Even if it is hard, he should be grateful to the man for saving his life so he will work for him during the month end since there's no hope of giving him back. 

And he will make sure Bella and her mother, Stella knows nothing about this. Mason stands up and walks in the direction of his workplace. He has no money on him so he will have to walk to his workplace which is a bit far.

 He is late already and walking will make him more late. He doesn't mind and keeps walking hoping his boss won't make an issue out of him being late. And hoping his boss will hear him out.